Advancing Safety in the Electric Era
Feasibility and Prototype Development of a Patent-Pending Acoustic Awareness System
The Challenge
Electric vehicles significantly reduce noise pollution, but this shift also changes how pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers perceive vehicle presence and motion—particularly at low speeds in dense, shared urban environments.
These perceptual changes affect situational awareness and can increase ambiguity for vulnerable road users.
As electric mobility scales, cities and manufacturers must support intuitive interaction without reintroducing unnecessary or non-directional noise.
Our Focus
Manukin is an early-stage mobility initiative developing a patent-pending acoustic awareness system for electric vehicles.
The work centers on:
Human-centered safety and perception
System-level feasibility and integration
Responsible integration within urban sound environments
Technical implementation details remain confidential while feasibility and system validation are established.
Proposed Approach
The system applies mechanically grounded acoustic mechanisms aligned with vehicle dynamics to improve perception of vehicle presence and motion at low speeds.
Rather than introducing arbitrary sound, the approach investigates physically grounded, behavior-linked signals designed to enhance localization and interpretation in shared urban environments.
Why This Matters Now
EV adoption is accelerating faster than perceptual conventions are evolving
Cities are prioritizing Vision Zero and pedestrian-first safety frameworks
Existing alert systems often increase volume without improving directional clarity
Maintaining intuitive vehicle feedback supports driver awareness alongside electrification
Early feasibility work is critical before standards and industry practices solidify
Timely development enables safer, more context-sensitive solutions to emerge during a formative period in electric mobility design.
Use of Funds
Requested funding (~$85,000) will support a defined feasibility and prototyping phase, including:
Early physical prototype development
Mechanical engineering collaboration
System integration and form-factor refinement
Evaluation of alternative technical architectures
Limited formative human-centered evaluation
Identification and mitigation of key engineering and safety risks
This phase establishes technical feasibility and informs responsible pathways toward validation and pilot deployment.